Richfilth
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About Richfilth
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I've finally got my hands on a 10183 (Factory Train), and I'm digging through the .LDD files to understand all the models. I just wondered if it's possible to build more than one of the models at once? I know a few of the builds have multiple sections (Build 25, for example, is a complete train), but are there enough bricks left over from, say, Build 09 (black steam loco) to then build the caboose as well (Build 02)?
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Hi guys, long time no see! I've made another video: this one embeds an Arduino on the train and removes the Power Functions IR receiver. This onboard arduino receives commands from a Master Arduino by the track, which can switch track points and could even read other sensors or control signal lights if you want to. All the code, parts lists and 'how to' guides are now available on the project website: arduinolegotrains.wordpress.com.
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Younge, thanks for the kind words! I make tutorial videos as part of my day job, and I try and transfer those skills to these tutorials (even if the cameras aren't as high-quality as I'd like!), so your appreciation is very much appreciated! The Automated Coupler video only uses one locomotive, so maybe you're thinking of another video with two trains? Tutorial 6 uses two trains on two separate loops (no shared rails), while tutorials 8 and 10 use the track points to isolate sections of the track so that another train can run; you see this most clearly in Tutorial 8, where the parked train is between two points and therefore cut off from the power going to the other train.
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Yes LegoLow, that's just how it works; you have to make independent blocks or track loops to control multiple 9V trains. Video 10 uses two independent sections, which is the main loop and the siding, and these sections join at a shared station using motorized sidings to cut power between the two sections. New video: ARDUINO ON BOARD! This tutorial places an arduino on board your train, so you can take your programs with you as you move! I've built the arduino onto a wagon so that you can see all the components, but this could also be build into the locomotive itself and just the battery located in a second wagon. The existing Power Functions parts remain on the locomotive, so it takes just seconds to convert from Arduino control back to "standard". I've also added two distance sensors for crash detection, so your trains can now run along a single line backwards and forwards instead of going round and round in a loop!
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Masterful What cameras are you using on the trains themselves? I'm using a GoPro Session but it's quite heavy
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New video time: POWER FUNCTIONS! Thanks to my crowdfunding campaign I was able to buy a Power function set, so I was able to work out the simplest way to control the new type of Lego trains with an Arduino! This tutorial is extremely basic; you don't have any real user input into what the train is doing, but don't worry! Coming up next will be Bluetooth control, onboard Arduinos and wireless Arduino-to-Arduino communication, so future layouts will have much more playability.
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Kickstarter: Arduino Tutorials for Lego Trains
Richfilth replied to Richfilth's topic in LEGO Train Tech
Thanks! I've already raised enough to buy one kit, so I've ordered a used 60052 set so that I can explain how to use Power functions! -
Kickstarter: Arduino Tutorials for Lego Trains
Richfilth replied to Richfilth's topic in LEGO Train Tech
Thanks for the support guys -
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Ok, it's an Indiegogo not a kickstarter, but... I've set up a fundraiser to help me make more tutorials on automating your Lego trains - click here to support me! The first round of videos was started 18 months ago, and took me a year to complete. SInce then I've had over 1,000,000 views, thousands of subscribers and hundreds of messages of (and for) support, helping people integrate the popular and cheap Arduino controllers into their train layouts. Now I want to make more videos featuring Power Function trains, bluetooth and mobile app controls, and on-board arduinos for train-based sensor detection. This fundraiser is to help me buy the lego, arduinos and assorted electronics that will feature in each video. Planned list of videos: Controlling PF trains with Arduino for absolute beginners Build a mobile app and control your train via bluetooth Fit an arduino to your train with dedicated sensors RFID tag reading to identify locomotives and wagons on the track Arduino-to-arduino wireless communications (linking locos to a central control hub) If I exceed the target, I plan to get a Raspberry Pi too so that I can introduce how to integrate these into your train sets, and how they compare to Arduinos! Even if you can't afford to help, you can still read the original thread about these videos, and you can check out the Youtube channel in my sig for more details and your own amusement :D TO THE MODS: Sorry if this is spam; please delete it if I'm breaking some rules I'm not aware of.
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Yes, there are lots of things I still want to explore in both the hardware and the software; the problem is just time and money :D I needed to finish these tutorials before my baby is born, because after that I will be too busy (or exhausted!) to make any more videos for at least a few months. But my lego won't stay in boxes forever, and hopefully I'll have some spare cash to buy one of the PF trains and some newer-style motors for the track switches/points too.
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New video! The Automated Marshalling Yard! In this video, two locomotives exchange 3 wagons between a main loop, a station and a siding. It uses as many features of the previous tutorials as possible. It's also the last video in this series... for now. It's been great fun making them, and it also shows what can be done with an Arduino, some lego, and zero programming experience
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It's been a month, so it's time for another tutorial! This time, it's an Automated Decoupler:
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Originally I planned a whole description of the LED circuit, how to read a datasheet, what the resistor does etc etc blah blah blah. But that made the vid 15mins long, and IMO even 10mins is too long for a tutorial, so I had to delete it! So the key information ("Protect the Arduino: Use a Resistor!") is the only bit that remained Wow, that's real microcontroller programming! Using the Arduino IDE is quite a bit simpler, although the next tutorial will be covering the Interrupt functions of the arduino chips.
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Hey Lego fans! It's been a long while, but I finally made another video. A simple concept - LEDS - but used to do something cool; two trains on one loop, in opposite directions :D Hope you like it!
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Yes, that's exactly how I've built mine: It's ok to file/sand/grind down the sides of the LEDs so that they fit into the technic brick - just don't damage the end of the LED.